Heroes of the Past
by reppuzan
Summary: What if Lan made a NetNavi version of himself to keep Hub company after he died? What if they both survived to the future and met Geo. How will their meeting change the events of the year 220X? Read to find out! Follows the Events of Mega Man Star Force 3.
1. Chapter 1: A New Time, A New World

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mega Man series in any shape or form. All characters belong to their original owners.

* * *

"_They're going to be here soon Mega Man." said my twin brother Lan, now looking like an aged version of Dad. He was rapidly typing away at the keyboard connected to my PET._

"_I can't let you get in trouble for this Lan, just let them take me!" The government had ordered the confiscation of all NetNavis in order to make way for new technology. Anyone who refused was to be arrested and their Navis forcefully taken._

"_You've saved me more times than I can count. It's time I do the same for you."_

"_You don't need to do this Lan!"_

"_I'm going to put you into sleep mode and hide you in this data file along with all of your special data including battle chips. With any luck someone will find you and wake you up."_

_I could only watch helplessly as Lan finished and was about to press the final key._

"_Sweet dreams Hub." Sweet dreams? He made it sound like we were going to see each other again. Lan then executed the program and I could feel my eyes fluttering shut._

"_Lan don't do this... please..." I feebly cried as I felt my systems shut down._

_Then there was only darkness._

* * *

**Year 220X: AMAKEN – Aaron Boreal's Lab**

* * *

Aaron Boreal was working intently to analyze the data that came from the various space satellites of WAZA. Meteor G, a massive meteor composed entirely of a type of EM radiation called Noise, was on a collision course with Earth. He needed to try and find a possible way to divert its course or destroy it, lest most of Earth's life and all of its EM technology be wiped out. However, research was going nowhere, and no one knew how to counteract it.

He decided to take a break and began sorting through old files in the database, deleting unnecessary ones and otherwise cleaning up for greater efficiency. However, he stopped when he found a folder he didn't recognize. Accessing it, he found an array of other files, including a word document. He opened it to find this message:

_My name is Lan Hikari. If you are reading this, I'm probably long gone. Enclosed in this folder are a number of data files from the past the may prove useful, but the most important of them all is the NetNavi sleeping within. His name is MegaMan EXE. He is an incredibly powerful and adaptive NetNavi. We saved the world together at least six times you know! He is also my twin brother Hub, as he was infused with his human DNA and memories after he died from HBD when he was an infant. The instructions to wake him up and configure him are enclosed within. There is another NetNavi enclosed as well, but please wake up Hub first. I want it to be a surprise. Please, take care of him, he's my only brother and my best friend._

The name of Doctor Lan Hikari has been long forgotten by the general public, but every respectable scientist in the field of EM technology knew his name. He created the Brother Band and laid the groundwork for the formation of modern EM technology after all. They're keystones in today's society and the Link Power produced by it is the foundation of modern society.

"Mega Man... what a coincidence." said Boreal, remembering that his best friend Kelvin's son Geo also took the identity of Mega Man when he merged with the AM-ian Omega-Xis.

He looked over his notes, noting parallels between the new Wizards and NetNavis.

"Perhaps I can turn Mega Man into a Wizard... it's worth a shot! Well Dr. Hikari, I think your wish is coming true today!" Boreal began to go to work.

Hub/MegaMan EXE's Point of View

_Processor Online_

_Sensory Receptors Online_

_Motor Controls Online... _

_MegaMan EXE Online_

"Where am I?" I asked as I woke up and looked at my surroundings. It clearly wasn't Scilabs, and I wasn't in my PET either. I realized the absence of my twin brother.

"Lan! Where are you!" I called out of the screen, but no one seemed to be around to hear me.

"MegaMan you're awake!" I heard a voice say. I turned to see a man enter through the nearby door. He had a roundish face with brown hair and eyes. He wore what appeared to be a blue tracksuit, brown pants, and a blue baseball cap with AMAKEN written on it.

"Who are you?"

He looked at me with kind eyes like Dad's, "My name is Aaron Boreal. You're probably going to need to sit down to hear this."

I did as I was told, but I knew from the look on his face that it wasn't going to be good.

"You're in the computer here at AMAKEN, an organization I founded in the study of space and EM technology."

He doesn't seem like a bad person, but why am I here when Lan stored me away at Scilabs?

"The year is 220X. Over two hundred years after you were put to sleep. I'm sorry, but your brother is gone."

I could only stare blankly for a few seconds. Lan is gone. My younger twin brother, the person I spent nearly every waking minute of my life with, is gone. I looked into Mr. Boreal's eyes to find any sense of doubt or shred of hope, but there was none. Lan really is gone.

"Still, there's something you might want to read." He brought up a file which I opened.

* * *

_Dear Hub,_

_I'm sorry for putting you into sleep mode like I did. However, I wanted you to live on. I know I'm not going to live forever. If you somehow wake up in a time long from now, I want you to know that I know things will be okay. You're MegaMan EXE, the strongest NetNavi. But you're also Hub Hikari, my brother and best friend. I know you'll be able to make a difference no matter where you are and when you wake up. I wish you the best. Take care of yourself Hub!_

_From your brother,_

_Lan Hikari_

* * *

"Lan you idiot..." I could feel tears streaming down my face. "I didn't want to leave you behind." One of the bad things about being a human turned NetNavi is that while your loved ones age you remain the same. You watch them grow old and die. Worst of all there's nothing you can do about it.

"Dr. Hikari did say something in the message I opened, saying there was another NetNavi in the file."

"Another NetNavi?" It couldn't be Roll or Junior, there were among the ones taken first.

Mr. Boreal began running through line after line of code before finally executing the program as instructed by Lan.

A flash of white light appeared in the cyberspace before I saw what had appeared. It was a Navi that looked almost exactly like me! The only obvious differences were that his outfit's colors were inverted compared to mine, being mostly cyan with navy blue stripes down his sides ending at his boots. Speaking of which his boots, helmet, and gloves were also a lighter shade of blue, looking closer to cerulean than a plain blue like mine. His hair was also brown compared to my black. In addition, green neon like lines intersected across the segments of the shoulder armor and boots.

Suddenly his eyes opened, revealing eyes exactly like mine except for the fact that they were brown. He yawned as he stretched and got up, "That was some nap..." he muttered as he looked at his surroundings.

"Morning Hub, where are we?"

"Lan... is that you?"

He flashed one of his trademark goofy smiles, "In the flesh! Er, data."

"But how..."

"I knew I wasn't going to last much longer, so I decided to replicate Dad's Navi Project so I could always be your partner! So here I am!"

I clenched my fists in the swirling mix of emotions of joy, anger, surprise, and shock before I jumped on my twin and began disciplining him physically for the first time.

"You jerk! You had me so worried! I can't believe you made me think I'd never see you again!"

"Ow, ow, ow stop I wanted it to be a surprise! I'm sorry I worried you! Cut it out!"

"You better be sorry!"

"Ahem." Mr. Boreal cleared his throat to quickly end our little feud.

After noticing the man watching us, Lan asked "Who is he?" Casual as ever I see. He hasn't changed a bit over the years...

"He's Mr. Boreal, he found us in the database here at AMAKEN, a company that researches space. It's the year 220X Lan, over two hundred years since you put me to sleep."

"Oh. Nice to meet you! I think you know already but I'm Lan Hikari, formally Dr. Lan Hikari."

"It's great to meet you too Dr. Hikari. Though I have to admit I never imagined it'd be quite like this. Your invention of the Brother Band is pretty much essential in our daily lives now. If every scientist in the world knew you were alive I'm sure they'd be giving you thanks."

"Aw, it was nothing. I'm just glad my invention helped. But just call me Lan. Dr. Hikari makes me sound old like my dad." He certainly seemed proud of his accomplishment despite his humble words.

"Don't let it go to your head Lan." I scolded as he scratched the back of his helmet sheepishly.

"As much as I'd like to ask you about the past, there is more important business I must discuss with you two." We both looked at the man in surprise. What could be so important?

"Nowadays, NetNavis are all but obsolete and have been replaced due to advances in EM technology." The two of us frowned at that. I knew that they were being replaced by the time I went to sleep but to be considered obsolete, that's like rendering my entire life and existence void.

"We now have Wizards, which are a lot like NetNavis except they can manifest in the real world to help us as they are made of EM waves."

"What does this have to do with us?" asked Lan.

"Well I used your notes on how to configure MegaMan to combine your data with the latest in EM technology. As a result, the both of you are Wizards."

Both of our jaws dropped at that. "Does that mean..."

"Yes, you can manifest in the real world without a Copy Bot."

The two of us cheered at the thought. To be able to go into the real world without the use of a robot was my life's dream, and it's becoming a reality.

"However, I've never created or tinkered with Wizards that have human DNA. I don't know what kind of effects or potential complications it could cause."

"Well there's no time like the present! Right Hub?"

"Yeah!" I was too excited to care about the potential dangers and unknowns.

"Alright then, first we'll need to transfer you into these Hunter-VGs first. They're kind of like the PETs of this era." He brought out two devices shaped like triangles at the top but were circular at the bottom. That had a black circle outlined in the color of the Hunter-VG. Mine was a navy blue while Lan's was a much lighter shade of cyan.

"Uh, this is my first time doing something like this. How do you go about this Hub?" Lan looked nervous at the prospect of transferring to a device so soon. Even I had a few months of education with Dad before I left the Scilab computer.

"Just go with the flow, it'll be over quickly." Mr. Boreal inserted two computer chips into the computer. Lan and I turned into small beams of light as we vanished into our respective devices.

The next thing I knew I was in another cyberspace-like room. It reminded me of my PET. Despite the fact that there wasn't a screen I could still see my surroundings outside of the Hunter-VG just fine. After our transfers were complete Mr. Boreal then picked up our devices and shouted, "Wizard On!"

I soon found myself in the room Mr. Boreal was in. Lan was opposite me. To our surprise, we were not in our NetNavi forms but wearing human clothes. In fact, Lan looked exactly as he did over two hundred years ago. He was wearing his white long sleeved shirt with black patches on the elbows with an orange vest along with a pair of black shorts with yellow stripes down the sides. He even had his trademark bandana, which he used to keep his messy hair out of his eyes, and his roller skates, which happened to work as well.

I was wearing the exact same outfit, only I didn't have the bandana and my vest was a sky blue. As I reached up to check for my helmet, it too was gone and I could feel my hair.

"This is awesome! It's like I'm a kid again!" exclaimed Lan as he looked himself over.

"You were always a kid Lan, you never really grew up that much." I teased at my brother's antics.

"Grrr, you were always like Dad, all responsible and uptight. Heck you look like him right down to your hairstyle."

As I looked at an empty computer screen to check I saw that Lan was right. I appeared practically as a younger version of Dad minus the glasses.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise. At least this will help you blend into society more easily. I'll have to contact Echo Ridge Elementary to sign you two in." said Mr. Boreal as he observed our situation.

"You mean we have to go to school again?" Lan whined childishly.

"Come on Lan, it's a part of growing up. Maybe you'll do some of it this time."

"Hey! I am a grown up. I just don't look like it."

"Or act like it."

"Why you!" Lan started chasing me around the lab. Unfortunately I tripped and fell onto the floor.

"Ow!"

"Oh, sorry Hub!" As I looked down to where I fell I found that there was a small scrape on my knee, with a small amount of blood oozing out of it.

"Blood?" This is my first time seeing my own blood. I didn't even know I _had_ blood.

"I certainly didn't expect this. I'm going to get you two a full physical. You'll need it anyway to get admission. But if this means what I think it does you're for all intents and purposes human in this form."

"Then how do we access our NetNav-,er Wizard forms again?" I asked. It was great to be able to live like a human for the first time, but I wasn't quite ready to leave my life as a NetNavi behind.

"I'm not sure. This never happened before after all. This may sound a little silly, but try shouting, EM Wave Change! Before saying your name and On the Air!"

We were no strangers to shouting, since Lan always yelled "Jack in!, MegaMan EXE execute!" before I jacked into the net.

Lan beat me to it, "I'll go first! EM Wave Change, Lan Hikari, On the Air!"

Nothing happened. "I guess that wasn't it. If only this were as easy as Cross Fusion." muttered my brother as he sighed in frustration.

"EM Wave Change detected." The two of us jumped at the Hunter-VG's sudden response.

"What's going on?!" asked Lan as he waved the Hunter-VG on his wrist around.

"Satella Police Accessing... Authenticating. Authentication complete. Registering Lan Hikari as Transcode 006. ID card issued... Authentication Code: Hikari EXE." A silver card was displayed showing the number it just said along with a silhouette of Lan's Wizard/NetNavi form.

"Upon EM Wave Change the Authentication Code is required." It then went silent.

"What the heck was that?" I asked as we tried to comprehend the turn of events.

"I dunno, but it looks like I'm registered in something called the Satella Police."

"I can explain that. The Satella Police defends the people of the world from the attacks of EM viruses and other events."

"EM viruses? There are viruses in this time too?" Lan looked ready to burst from excitement, "Yes, I can still virus bust! Woohoo!" I was excited too but I was too embarrassed by Lan to show it. It's good to know that part of my former lifestyle was not completely gone.

Mr. Boreal smiled before beginning to talk to us in a low whisper, "I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but right now they are running a project called Project Transcode to register and keep a list of all of the humans who can perform an EM Wave Change."

"You mean there are others that can do this?"

"Yes, but I'm not familiar with many of them. I do know three personally. The first I know of is my best friend's son Geo Stelar. He combines with the alien Omega-Xis to become the superhero Mega Man. He saved the world two times already."

"Mega Man?" said the two of us in unison. That was my name as a NetNavi that I used practically everywhere since I couldn't use my birth name. To think that someone else would be using it now.

"It's a strange coincidence isn't it?"

"No kidding..." I muttered as I mulled it over.

"Also, aliens are real?" asked my brother, always into these kinds of things.

"Yes. Geo fought a small army of them not too long ago by EM Wave Changing through the same process that you used."

"So we'll be able to fight aliens, this keeps getting better and better!"

"I wouldn't get ahead of yourselves but that's a possibility."

"Oh well, as long as it _could_ happen I'm happy."

I saw Mr. Boreal smile at my brother's behavior as a kid at heart, "Moving on, Geo is going to elementary school that you're going to be attending tomorrow. But keep it a secret, as well as your status as Wizards. I'd think it would cause a media fiasco if it got out."

"Got it. Still, I hope we'll be able to become friends." I said while nodding.

"That I hope too. I think he'd get along with you twins quite well. Geo's a lot like you in particular Hub. His alien partner is more like Lan."

"Then I can't wait to meet him. Can we stop talking about school? It's bringing up bad memories." said Lan impatiently.

"Fine, but you better not make me do your homework again." I added cheekily.

"I'm an adult I can do my own homework!"

"Just putting that out ahead of time."

Lan then started eyeing my Hunter-VG. "It's my turn to register isn't it?" Lan nodded in anticipation.

I raised my arm into the air and yelled, "EM Wave Change! Hub Hikari, On the Air!"

The same thing happened as before with Lan. "EM Wave Change detected. Satella Police Accessing... Authenticating. Authentication complete. Registering Hub Hikari as Transcode 007. ID card issued... Authentication Code: MegaMan EXE." The same silver card was displayed showing the number it just said along with a silhouette of my Wizard/NetNavi form. "Upon EM Wave Change the Authentication Code is required."

"Do you want to try it now?"

"Yeah, but how?"

"Well, it said the authentication code was our Navi name. It also kept mentioning the word Transcode. Maybe we need to say them in order."

"That makes sense, let me try." I got into position and raised my arm into the air again, "Transcode 007, MegaMan EXE!" I was then cloaked in a flash of blue light as I felt the parts of my NetNavi armor being equipped to my body, first the gloves and boots, followed by the emblem and suit, finally the helmet. When I opened my eyes I was in my NetNavi form once more, the only differences being the emerald green lines in part of the armor and the new light blue visor that hid my eyes, much like some of my Double Soul forms.

"It works!"

"My turn! Transcode 006, Hikari EXE!" My twin was cloaked in the same light before he too was in his NetNavi form with the same green lines and a deep green visor instead.

"Let's see if our weapons still work." I turned my hand into my trusty Mega Buster before aiming out the open window towards the sky. "Mega Buster!" I yelled before a salvo of energy shots went off.

"Mine works, how about yours Lan?"

He was about to do the same before he stopped in thought for a second. "I never used my buster before. What should I call it?"

"Uh, I haven't a clue. Well your Navi/Wizard name is Hikari, our last name, which means light. How about something related to that like flash or bright."

"Something related to light... I know!" He aimed his buster out the window, "Shining Buster!" His arm cannon let out different colored but otherwise identical bursts of light.

"Well now we know how to turn it on, now how do we turn it off?"

Lan stared blankly for a moment before realizing that we had no idea how to return to our human forms. We panicked a little, unsure about what to do. I didn't want to lose my chance to live as a normal human so soon!

"Try relaxing and willing your form to dissipate. That's how Geo does it." said Mr. Boreal.

We both took a deep breath and relaxed, trying to get rid of our transformation. As we did our armor dissipated and we were back in our normal clothes, much to our relief.

"I guess that's it for the day. I'm exhausted." I said as the process finished. So much happened today that I almost believed it was a dream until I pinched myself really hard (I still had all of the strength I had as a NetNavi).

"Me too." said Lan with another yawn.

"I'm not surprised. You two have been through a lot today. I'll put out the sleeping bags, you can sleep under the stars if you want."

"Can we?" It'd be the first time I'd get to see real stars outside of the screen of a PET.

He chuckled at my childish gaze. "Of course you can."

We lied down on the roof of the building in our sleeping bags, gazing at the night sky.

"I still can't believe I'm not dreaming Lan, this is amazing."

"Yeah, we're in the future, we're Wizards, best of all we get to be together like this."

"I wonder how we'll lead our lives like this. The future is incredibly cool but... I miss everyone. Yai, Mayl, Dex, Mom and Dad, they're all gone."

"Hmmm. But there's no worrying about it now! I know they'll be happy as long as we're okay and we make the world a better place, just like old times."

"I guess... good night Lan."

"Good night Hub." I then drifted off to sleep once more.

* * *

**Echo Ridge Elementary**

* * *

Lan's Point of View

"Do we really have to go to school?" I asked as Mr. Boreal lead us to his car.

"Sorry Lan, but the truant officers will get suspicious if they say a pair of young boys at home without a tutoring Wizard."

"But I already went through elementary school, middle school, high school, and college to the doctorate degree!"

"Do you think anyone will believe you with your current appearance?"

"Damn it!"

"Lan, language!" said my nagging twin brother, now in the real world with me thanks to the technology they have here in the future. For some reason we manifest as flesh and blood people rather than EM waves unless we EM Wave Change, despite being Wizards (I think it's because of our human DNA).

"I shouldn't have a limit on what I say, I'm over two hundred years old for crying out loud!"

"Still it's rude! At least try to act your age!"

"Ugh, why are you always so uptight!"

"Because it's been my job since you got me as your NetNavi, only now I can berate you in person rather than from a PET."

"You're really annoying you know that?"

"If it keeps you from getting in trouble I don't mind."

Mr. Boreal only chuckled at our bickering as he started the car and drove us to school.

Geo's Point of View

I was sitting amongst the clamor of my classmates before class began.

I was barely containing my excitement at today's lesson, we were going to try out the latest OS for the new Hunter-VG!

"_Hey, Kid..." _whispered Omega-Xis, my alien best friend and EM Wave Change partner.

"_What's up, Mega_?_" _I whispered into my Hunter-VG. "_People will hear you, so you better keep it down._"

"_Don't worry._" he replied, _"Everyone's too excited to hear me! __What's goin' on anyway?_"

"_Heh heh, you'll see soon!_" I didn't want to spoil the surprise. He only gave me a questioning look in response.

"Does everyone have their mobile terminals ready?" asked Mr. Shepar, my coffee-loving homeroom teacher.

"Ready!" we all called back.

"Kids, today we'll be upgrading our operating system, known as our OS. Altering such a vital program is a quite a big deal. Okay, I'm sending the upgrade program to everyone now! Here we go!"

I eagerly began to immediately begin updating the OS as soon as I got the upgrade program.

Mega looked startled as I began doing so, "_W-wait a second! Upgrade?! What's going to happen to me? I'm inside the OS!_"

"_Hmm, I wonder..._" What would happen to Mega?

"_Hey, Kid! __Grr, there's a ton of data coming in!_"

As it completed, I could only marvel at the wonderful new layout. "Wow!" we all exclaimed as we looked it over.

"A-awesome!" I said as I started looking through all of the new features. "This is the new mobile terminal OS. It's completely different from before!"

"It looks like you've all finished upgrading successfully! As you may know, your new terminal is called the Hunter-VG. As the pace of advancement of technology rapidly increased, so has the number of virus related problems. The Hunter-VG is designed in order to make virus busting easier. The Battle Cards are used to delete viruses have also been made more manageable."

"So that's why it's called the Hunter..."

"The Hunter-VG will be an essential part of your day-to-day lives. It comes with many functions, so try them out when you have a chance!"

"Yes sir!" we replied.

"As I said before, the upgrade has reformatted your data. So you'll have to re-input everything. First you'll need a new Codename, which you'll use when you access the Network. You can pick anything you want for a Codename, but don't pick anything naughty!"

I thought it over for a little while before deciding on Ryusei, an old word that also works as a name with the literal meaning of shooting star, perfect with my love of space.

We then spent the next half hour going over all of the new functions of the Hunter-VG, including the pop-up system which let's us get info about practically anything we need in a flash. We were interrupted by another announcement from Mr. Shepar.

"Class, it seems that we were some caught up in the excitement of our new devices that I forgot to introduce two of our new students. Come over here you two."

Two young boys that looked remarkably alike walked to the front of the class. The first had neatly styled hair and was wearing a light blue vest. The second had messy hair held back with a bandana and wore an orange vest. They were otherwise identical, with the same face, long-sleeved white shirt, black shorts with yellow stripes, and black and orange shoes. Are they twins?

The one with the blue vest was the first to speak. "My name is Hub Hikari. I look forward to working with everyone. Please take care of me." he said in a respectful but youthful voice.

The one in the orange vest then spoke up. "Hi! I'm Lan Hikari! My favorite hobby is virus busting! Let's have fun together everyone!" he said in a vibrant and lively voice.

"Um, are you twins?" asked Mary McLovin, a girl in my class.

"Yup!" said Lan, "We're identical twins!" He grabbed his brother playfully. "We're staying here while our parents are working overseas."

Hub sighed, "But we're polar opposites. I'm the older, more serious and responsible one while he is the younger, more brash and irresponsible one."

"Hey! I'm not that irresponsible!"

"You can say that when you finish all your homework on time without my help!"

"I've been getting better!"

Many of us laughed at their arguing as the bell rang. "Oh, one last thing before class ends. The upgrade deleted your Brother Bands. Don't forget to reform your Brother Bands with your close friends! Everyone, be safe on your way home!"

"So, my Brother Bands have been deleted... I better reform them with Bud, Zack, and Prez."

"_Hey... Kid..."_ said Mega quietly, but he didn't sound very good, _"__Is it okay if I come out for a bit?"_

"_What? No Way! __People will notice if you come out here! It's different now that people can see you!_" I whispered back. How would people take it if an alien suddenly appeared in their classroom?

"_Well, let's get to a place where that won't be a problem!_"

"_What's the big hurry all of a sudden anyway?"_

"_Whatever, let's just get out here ASAP!"_

"_Fine..._"Now where's a place where we can stay unseen... how about the roof?

Hub's Point of View

"See, that wasn't so bad!" I told my brother as we began to leave the classroom. After getting over the fact that he had to go to school he returned to his usual, perky self. I think he actually enjoyed class for once too.

"You were right. It was interesting enough that I didn't fall asleep in class."

I sighed again, "It's a start. You were a world-class Net scientist Lan, you have to put more time and effort into your studies if we're going to live in this era and understand what people do here."

"Yeah I know, but seriously? Times tables? We finished that _centuries_ ago." He's got a point.

"I know, I know. Let's just talk about this later, it's going to take a while for it to sink into you anyway."

"Alright!" he replied while stretching, "I could use some air. How about we go to the roof?"

"I don't have any better ideas on what to do, and Mr. Boreal isn't going to be here until five. We have time."

"Let's go then!" Lan ran towards the elevator dragging me along with him.

* * *

**The Roof – Echo Ridge Elementary**

* * *

Geo's Point of View

"This should be a good spot. Okay then, Wizard On!" Mega then appeared in the air in front of me. Come to think of it this was the first time I've seen him without my visualizer.

As he materialized he began roaring all of the place, causing me to jump. "What's wrong Mega?"

"Geo, for crying out loud! Let me know before you ever do something like upgrade your mobile terminal!"

"Huh? Why?" What's he mad about?

What do you mean why? You should know! Thanks to those recent developments in wave technology I've become your Wizard, an EM Body that's integrated into your Hunter-VG!"

"Of course I know that much... You and the Hunter-VG are intimately linked together."

"Grr! Exactly!" he growled, "Now if you make a change to the system you make a change me too! How do you think it feels to have a ton of data shoved down your gullet? It was terrible!"

He then began to keel over, as if he were seasick, "Ohh... I don't feel so good all of a sudden..."

"S-Sorry! I didn't think of that!" I didn't think that EM beings could get sick.

"No big deal, kid. Just keep it in mind for the future. Say have you put on your Visualizer recently?"

"Come to think of it, I haven't worn it in a while." A put on the visualizers I usually wore on my head. They're a special pair of glasses that let you see EM waves, including the Wave Road, where all EM Beings on Earth do their work.

I began reminiscing as I put them on. "If I didn't have these, I would have never met you Mega." Before I met Mega I always used be a loner and would always go to Vista Point to watch the stars and the bending EM waves with them. It was only after Mega crashed into me (literally) that I could finally see EM Beings and the Wave Road with them.

"Your father was a good man, Geo. And as they say, like father like son."

I gently brushed off the compliment, "You don't need to compare me to my dad. I need to carve my own path in life."

"Well aren't you growing up kid? See anything different?" Yeah, there was one big difference. I couldn't see any people with them on.

"I can't see any humans with them anymore."

"It's a side effect of the new wave technology. You can kind of see people with them on but it's hard. Just be really careful while you're walking around with the Visualizer on."

"Got it." As I took off the visualizer my Hunter-VG began to ring and vibrate.

"I've got a phone call." I held out my Hunter-VG creating a holographic projection showing that the caller was Prez.

"Oh, Prez. What's up?" Luna Platz is our student class president. She is the head of the trio I call my friends. She's bossy, rude, and kind of spoiled, but she's a good person at heart.

"What's up? I can't believe you tell me what's up after you took off so suddenly just after class!" The screen was shaking with her anger.

"Uh, I kinda had something to take care of..."

"Yeah, yeah. Just come to the Snack Shop on the first floor, okay?" The screen suddenly zoomed in, "On the double!" she barked as the call ended.

"Man, she sure is angry at me today."

"You'd better get over to the Snack Shop before she gets any angrier!"

Lan's Point of View

A bunch of kids wearing lab coats and carrying clipboards were on the elevator as well. They were probably members of the science club. As Hub and I walked out onto the roof we saw Geo walking towards the elevator. I guess he had to go somewhere.

He walked to the side to let us and the science club out.

"It's the science club." he noted as the club members began pulling out an array of tools to quickly assemble what looked like a small rocket.

"Is everyone ready?" said the tall one with glasses, presumably the leader of the club.

"Ready!" the two younger members replied in response.

"Great! Let's get started shall we?" When they finished a small green rocket shaped like a missle was planted on the ground.

"We've finally finished the small scale rocket in our lab! At last we can finally perform the flight test!" the trio cheered as they looked ready to start the rocket.

"This is way more interesting than class Hub!" I said as I gazed at the rocket.

"Maybe, I kind of want to see what they do with it first." my twin replied.

We were then interrupted by a clattering noise coming from the roof garden.

"Huh? What's that sound?" asked the science club leader.

The garden sprinklers started spraying water everywhere without end!

"The sprinkler is out of control!" said the young girl.

"I'm detecting a virus reading somewhere! It's coming from that sprinkler's Cyber Core!" exclaimed the young boy.

"Calm down, everyone! We all have Hunter-VGs and Battle Cards just for this very occasion right? Let's take care of the virus together!" the eldest of the trio said to reassure them.

"Take this! Cannon! Mini Grenade! Plasma Gun!" the trio cried as they loaded their Battle Cards not unlike how you would use Battle Chips.

However the sprinkler continued to shoot water everywhere. "It's no use... if only we had Wizards. Then we could use Battle Cards more effectively!" cried the two younger members of the club.

"Argh, is science worthless?" muttered the eldest science club member.

"Sir!"

"Woody!"

"Hub we night need to jump in and help." I said as I observed the situation.

"You're right. But how do we get into the sprinkler's Cyber Core?"

"Cyber Core?" I asked, clueless to the term.

"Were you paying attention in class Lan?" he scolded, "Ugh, the quickest way to explain it is that its the inside of the EM technology that they use here. It's like how we always used to jack-in when something went wrong."

"Got it. Well, we could ask Geo."

"And expose ourselves? Think Lan!"

"We have to protect the rocket! It's the symbol of all of our hard work!" cried the newly named Woody as he jumped in front of the model rocket to shield it from a sudden blast of water.

"We're going to have to help em' kid. What are you gonna do? How about I go into the sprinkler Cyber Core and go buck wild on those viruses?" we heard a deep, rough voice say from Geo's Hunter-VG.

"Hmm... no, let's get them together!" said Geo.

"Alright! It's been a while since we've EM Wave Changed! Just don't forget to stay frosty kid!" said the rough voice.

"You got it! Let's trans into the Sprinkler Cyber Core!" He then turned to the group, "Take it easy guys! I'm going to help!"

"How are you going to help?" asked the young science club member.

"Umm... J-Just don't worry about it, it's under control."

"Lan we're going to help too!"

"Alright! I've been waiting for a chance to virus bust all day!" We ended up all running to the corner near the wave station.

"It's EM Wave Change time!" Geo yelled as he raised his Hunter-VG to the air. But nothing happened, just like what happened with us yesterday.

"I-It's not working Mega! I even yelled and everything! Man this is so embarrassing!" I couldn't help but quietly laugh at his predicament, but I got a slap on the back from my brother for doing so.

"That's strange, yelling usually makes everything work." replied his wizard, probably the alien Mr. Boreal talked about.

"Wait there's a message coming in through the Hunter-VG."

"EM Wave Change detected. Satella Police Accessing..."

"Uh oh, this sounds pretty serious. Are we in trouble?"

"Authenticating. Authentication complete. Registering Geo Stelar and Omega-Xis as Transcode 003. ID card issued... Authentication Code: Mega Man. Upon EM Wave Change the Authentication Code is now required."

"What was that?" asked the boy with same hero name as my twin.

"It looks like we're registered with the Satella Police. And that we won't really be able to Wave Change so easily anymore. I'm not really sure, but it looks like we need to use the code Mega Man when we Wave Change. Don't worry about it too much okay? Let's do this! We can enter the road through the Wave Station!"

"Okay, let's do it! Transcode 003, Mega Man!" he yelled, quickly transforming in a burst of light like we did. When he reappeared he was wearing dark blue armor with a jumpsuit the same color as Hub's. His necklace was know engraved in the armor, and the upper part of his face was covered by a reddish-pink visor and his hair stuck out the back. In addition the gauntlet on his left had a green terminal on it, probably for Battle Cards. He then stepped into the Wave Station before vanishing.

"Well now we know what to do Hub, and I'm getting bored. Let's do this!"

"Right!"

"Transcode 006, Hikari EXE!"

"Transcode 007, MegaMan EXE!" we yelled as we both transformed. We ran next to the wave station the same way Geo did, only to be transported to the Wave Road above.

"So this is the Wave Road..." I muttered as we arrived. I gazed at the translucent road we stood on. To think that EM Technology could create all of this...

"This is no time to be sight-seeing Lan! Come on!" My brother called as he ran ahead.

"Wait up!" I shouted back as I quickly followed.

We came to an arrow shaped part of the rode labeled "Access" pointed at the sprinklers.

"Do you think this is like a jack-in point?"

"I dunno, but there's only one way to find out!"

We both allowed ourselves to turn into beams of light as we entered the Cyber Core.

* * *

**Sprinkler Cyber Core**

* * *

Geo's Point of View

When we arrived we found dozens of viruses rampaging around the place, the majority of them Metennas. The Cyber Core itself was flashing red with warning messages piled up all over the place.

"Looks like we found the source of the problem. Let's tear em' up!" roared Mega, he seemed to be really itching for a fight.

"Okay!" I aimed my left arm at the viruses, which had changed form being a gauntlet shaped like Mega's head to a more compact blaster.

"Mega Buster!" A small group of viruses fell to a single blast.

"Wow, the Hunter-VG even upped the power of the Mega Buster."

"No time to be impressed kid! They look angry!" The viruses began rushing at us in a swarm.

"No worries, I'm pretty fired up myself since our last battle!" I replied as I continued to fire the Mega Buster.

As they approached I jumped away, "Battle Card, Long Sword!" My arm then turned into a sword, the blade formed by pure EM energy.

"Hiyah!" I dashed through a wave, cleaving them all as I went. "Alright!"

Mega then appeared behind me and swiped away a few that were sneaking up on me, "Stay frosty, kid! It doesn't look like they plan on leaving anytime soon!"

"Right! Battle Card, Cannon!" My left arm was converted from a sword to a miniature cannon which I promptly used to blast away the oncoming viruses.

"Let me round em' up for you, Area Eater!" Mega clawed at the space in front of him, sucking the nearby viruses closer.

"Thanks! Battle Card, Mini Grenade!" I felt the ball shaped explosive land in my hand before I flung it at the trapped viruses, deleting all of them simultaneously.

Yet despite all of this they just kept coming! No matter how many we deleted they just swarmed us all over again with no end in sight!

"How many of them are there!"

"It looks like hundreds! The new EM technology is attracting them like moths to a candle. Keep at it kid, we'll finish them eventually!"

"Hey, let us have a slice of the action!" I heard a new voice say. Two figures rushed past me their right arms raised.

"Mega Buster Charged Shot!"

"Shining Buster Charged Shot!"

Two powerful beams shot out that cut a swath through the ranks of the viruses.

"That was great! It's been ages since we've virus busted like this!" shouted one.

"Settle down. We have to finish this quickly if we're going to help the Science Club." said the other in response.

"Who are you?" I asked the newcomers. They wore identical looking jumpsuits and helmets that looked a lot like mine! The only things that differences between the two of them were the color of their visors, hair, and armor.

"Should we tell him?" asked one.

"Well, we know his secret, why not?"

"Fine... But if we get into trouble for this it's your fault!"

"You know who I really am?" How did they get my secret identity?

"Yeah, Mr. Boreal told us." Their visors slid back to reveal the faces of two familiar looking twins, their irises having turned green from their transformation.

"Hi, Geo!" said Lan with a smile.

"You didn't expect this, did you?" added Hub.

"More EM Wave Changers? Who are your partners?" asked Mega.

"We don't have them!" Lan replied cheerfully.

"Then how can you EM Wave Change?" I asked, stumped at Lan's response. Only Solo could EM Wave Change by himself, and even then only because he was part of the Murian race.

"We'll explain later! Just focus on taking out the viruses!" said the more serious Hub as his visor came back down, the viruses surging back as he turned to face them.

"He has a point, let's go buck wild kid!"

"Alright! Battle Card, Plasma Gun!" My arm turned into an Elec elemental cannon which quickly paralyzed the oncoming forces.

The twins seemed to be looking through their Battle Card folders. "Let's see, Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword... Geo, have you ever heard of a Program Advance?" asked Hub.

"Huh? I've never heard of it."

"Still, I'm going to try it!" yelled Lan, "Battle Cards, Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword!" His arms shifted through the different swords before they vanished, a white light appearing between his hands in their place. The light peeled away to reveal an enormous axe.

"Awesome! The terminal says that it's a Galaxy Advance called Great Axe. It's a lot like the Life Sword we're used to right Hub?"

"Yeah... But enough of that that, less talking and more busting!"

"You got it! Take this!" He swung the axe, quickly cleaving and deleting at least twenty of them without a problem.

"Whoa... they're good!" I said, marveling at the twins. They were jumping around busting so fast it seemed like they were born for it!

"Are we really going to be outdone by them kid? You have the cards, use them!"

"You're right! Battle Cards, Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Galaxy Advance, Great Axe!" I yelled as the axe appeared in my hands.

"Do you have a lock on them Mega?"

A large number of targeting reticules appeared on my heads-up display. "I had a lock on em' yesterday, let's go!"

"Mega Attack!" We instantly closed the distance between us and the viruses, allowing me to cut them down with ease.

Angered by that, the remaining viruses unleashed shock waves with their pickaxes in an attempt to take us out. I crossed my arms, forming a protective shield which blocked the attack. The twins both yelled, "Battle Card, Barrier!" negating the attack as well.

"My turn to show off! Battle Card, Cannon x3! Galaxy Advance, Impact Cannon!" A gigantic cannon appeared in place of Hub's right hand, blasting away the remaining viruses with extreme prejudice, deleting them all in seconds.

The viruses finally stopped coming and the Sprinkler's Cyber Core returned to a normal color.

"Looks like it's over. I have a lot of questions for you two!"

"Do you have to? I really hate being interrogated..."

"Well, he does deserve to know Lan."

"I guess... Well let's pulse out shall we?"

"Wait!" but the two left as quickly as they came.

"You should probably do the same." commented my partner.

"Yeah..." We then pulsed out of the Cyber Core and back to the real world.

* * *

As I walked over to where the members of the Science Club were, Lan and Hub were standing next to them.

"The sprinkler system stopped malfunctioning!"

"Whoo hoo!" They cheered.

"But we're soaking wet!" complained the young girl.

"Unfortunately it looks like we'll have to postpone the launch. Remember, there's always tomorrow!" Woody declared.

"Oh yeah! Now that I think about... I think I saw someone. I saw someone wearing blue enter the sprinkler!"

"What! That had to be Mega Man!"

"Ack!" They weren't supposed to see that!

"Amazing! You mean THE Mega Man! As in, our hero!"

"Could the rumors that he goes to this school be true?"

T-this is bad! I have to stop this conversation before it turns into something crazy!

"Really? Because I saw two other handsome heroes in blue..." muttered Lan.

Hub knocked him on the back of the head, "Get your head of the clouds, Lan!" The two then went silent, glaring at each other.

"E-Excuse me! What kind of experiment were you conducting?" I asked to quickly change the subject.

"We were attempting to launch a rocket." said Woody.

"A rocket?! Like the ones they send to space?!"

"Yeah, we're building a rocket on the 2nd floor Science Club room." he sighed, "But it's not going so well."

"We thought we'd run some tests with a smaller version made from the same materials." added the younger member.

"As members of the Science Club we formed a team with the purpose of launching a rocket."

"I know we'll be successful in fulfilling our Purpose!" She put extra emphasis on the word purpose.

"Yeah, let's do our best!" The Science Club huddled up and cheered.

"What's with the emphasis on the word "Purpose"?" asked Omega-Xis.

"Well, EM technology has let us form teams more easily thanks to the power of Brother Bands, so we set Purposes for those times. They're like goals that each member works together to achieve."

"Who are you talking to?" asked Woody.

I jumped, "Ah, he, he..." What do I tell them? That I have an alien for a Wizard?

"Oh yeah, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Woodrow Boffin, I'm in 6th grade right now. People usually call me Woody."

"I'm Geo Stelar."

"Geo eh, do you have any Purposes at the moment?"

"Me? N-Not really..." I replied.

"Well, I hope you find a great Purpose and do your best to fulfill it with your friends someday! We're definitely going to fulfill our Purpose: Launch a Rocket!"

"I don't know anything about rockets, but I can at least cheer you on! Please show me the rocket when it's ready!

"You got it!" He then turned back to his club members, "Okay, let's head back to the Science Club room!" They complied and packed up the rocket before following him into the elevator.

The twins then walked up to me. "So, what did you want to ask us?" asked Hub.

"Well first, how can you EM Wave Change if you don't have a partner?"

"Well, the fact is a little sensitive and hard to believe..."

"Why are you so worried Hub? We can trust him!"

Hub continued to hesitate.

"It's up to me to spill it then. We're Wizards!"

It took about five seconds for that to sink in before my jaw dropped, "Wizards?! But you look just like humans!"

"Yeah, we _were _humans. Now we're Wizards with human DNA."

"I'm not following at all." muttered Mega, materializing in the space next to me.

"I think I can give a better explanation." said Hub. "Have you ever heard of NetNavis?"

"I used to have one for a teacher before I came to school."

"Well, two hundred years ago they were everywhere. A lot like Hunter-VGs today, everyone walked around with a PET and their own NetNavi."

"Where are you heading with this?" asked Mega as he narrowed his eyes at the two.

"I was born with a heart condition called HBD. In fact, I died from it before I was a year old."

"What! But you're standing right here! Don't tell me you're a g-ghost!"

"I never thought about it that way, but that's sort of true. You see, our dad was a leading scientist on NetNavi development. He didn't want me to die, so he crystallized my DNA and memories in the form of data and inserted it into a NetNavi. Thus I was created, the NetNavi MegaMan EXE, originally the human Hub Hikari. When the EM Technology revolution started, NetNavis were to be taken away and sealed in order to make way for the new stuff. Lan hid me away to keep me safe until Mr. Boreal found me in the AMAKEN database."

"Mega Man?! That doesn't mean I have to change my name does it?"

"You don't have to." he replied, "Everyone seems to know you by Mega Man already. I'll just distinguish myself with the EXE part."

"Let me get this straight," said Mega, "you're saying you're a relic from two hundred years in the past that was turned into a Wizard by Aaron. If that's the case, what about your brother?"

"I wanted to make sure that Hub was never all alone, so I repeated the process so that I could stay his partner and maybe even protect him."

"That means..."

"You guessed it! I'm the original Dr. Lan Hikari, inventor of the Brother Band, at your service!"

* * *

A third fan fiction! If you haven't guessed it by my avatar yet I consider myself something of a fan of the Mega Man series, the Battle Network and Star Force spin-offs especially. I've seen that nearly every fan fiction on the site between the two series has Geo travel back in time to meet Lan, so I decided to try something different. As you may have noticed, I've been experimenting with different writing perspectives/styles, though I think I like plain old first person the best. I left it off at this part as I thought the later parts would qualify for a chapter all its own. Plus, I have two other fan fictions to update, so I can't just go around making every chapter over ten thousand words. When I get around to continuing this it'll follow the events of the games.

That's it for now. Tell me how you felt about this chapter with a review and favorite it if you like it. Even if you didn't like it please tell me why in a review. Just keep it constructive. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2 - Change is Tough

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mega Man. All characters belong to their respective owners.

* * *

**Roof – Echo Ridge Elementary**

* * *

Geo's Point of View

"You guessed it!I'm the original Dr. Lan Hikari, inventor of the Brother Band, at your service!"

"I-Inventor of the Brother Band! Are you serious!" I stammered in disbelief.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would meet the inventor of the Brother Band! Is this for real?

"Not a joke! I'm the genuine article!"

"So you're saying that you invented all of the stuff you humans use today?"

"Pretty much, though only the basics. Everyone else came up with the rest!"

"Still, there are a _lot_ of things I want to ask you!" This was a once in a lifetime thing, what should I ask him?

"Okay then, but you have to keep it a secret. There would be a lot of issues if this gets out."

They already knew my secret, so it couldn't hurt right? "Sure! Now what to talk about..."

"Uh, I hate to burst your bubble kid, but don't you have something to do?" interrupted Mega.

It then dawned on me that I had a _very_ important thing to do, "Aw, man! I completely forgot that I had to go meet with Prez!"

"Prez? Do you mean Luna Platz, our class president?" asked Hub as he saw my panicked face.

"Yeah! She'll kill me now that I'm late!"

"You better get going then." said my Wizard as I rushed for the elevator.

"Hey, wait for us!" yelled Lan as he and his brother boarded the elevator with us.

* * *

**Elevator - Echo Ridge Elementary**

* * *

Hub's Point of View

Geo was looking very nervous on the way down, as if being late meant the end of the world. Lan was late plenty of times, but no one gave him more than a scolding for it.

"I'm pretty sure if you just tell Luna what happened on the roof she'll forgive you."

"Well, she's not like that. When she wants something she wants it to happen now."

She sounds a lot like Yai. I can still remember vividly all the crazy things she got to do with her endless supply of money. She traveled the world, bought the rarest battle chips, and even sent us to space in her own space shuttle!

Lan seemed to be thinking the same thing, "Luna sounds a lot like a rich girl we used to know. We should get along just fine then!"

Ever the optimist... "Let's just try to blend in Lan. We don't need to stand out at the moment."

"Okay Mom, I'll do my best."

"Very funny, I hope you remember to complete your homework on time _without_ my help."

"I'm an adult, of course I will!" Somehow, I still had my doubts.

When we arrived on the first floor Geo immediately bolted for the cafeteria, probably where he had to meet Luna. However, we were stopped as a boy who looked like he was in the fourth grade tripped in front of the statue of the principal and fell. Everyone jumped and ran to help him.

"Ow... I scraped my knee." he sad as he tried to sit up.

A lady in a medical outfit came running down from the other side of the hallway.

"Oh, it's the school nurse!" cried a girl.

"What happened? Let's get you to the nurse's office okay?"

The nurse turned to the empty air and shouted, "Wizard On!" Her Wizard appeared, one of the standard models used for helping patients at hospitals.

"Could you please take this boy to the nurse's office?"

"Sure thing! Let me just do some first aid." replied the Wizard. "Healing Pulse!"

The Wizard emitted some sort of ray that zapped the scrape and covered it in a thin blanket of EM waves like a band-aid.

"It stopped hurting!" cried the boy in surprise, "Wizards are great!"

"Alright, let's get you to the nurse's office." The Wizard began clearing the path with the siren on her head as she and her Operator led the boy down the hallway. It was amazing that technology was able to do things like this now.

"That's a Wizard!" said Geo as she watched the action unfold.

"Meh, what's the big deal?" replied Omega-Xis.

"Don't be like that Mega. You're quite the Wizard yourself! Should I give you a special explanation on Wizards?"

"That's not really..."

"Let's start..." Geo began giving an incredibly long explanation on Wizards. While I found it interesting, he was putting Lan and Omega-Xis to sleep with its long-winded nature. To summarize Geo's lecture, Wizards are like advanced NetNavis in that they could now materialize in the real world and operate alongside humans instead of just behind the scenes in machines. They have many of the same functions. Battle Wizards in particular are optimized for virus busting, they could even compete in battles just like how NetNavis used to Net Battle.

"Well, it's a good thing humans can see me now because.." Omega-Xis materialized next to Geo, "It was a real pain in the butt not being invisible to normal humans!" he roared as he clawed the air.

"W-wait a second, Mega! You said you wouldn't show yourself at school. You'll stick out too much!"

"Relax Geo, it doesn't matter if I stick out now since I'm your Wizard!"

The two kids from earlier turned around upon hearing Omega-Xis.

"Is that your Wizard?"

"He's really cool and powerful-looking!"

The alien basked in the attention the same way Lan did when he was in the spotlight, "Hehe.. I am pretty cool-looking and powerful aren't I?"

"I can see why Mr. Boreal said Omega-Xis is like you Lan." I whispered to my twin.

"Yeah, I'm really cool-looking and powerful in my Wizard form!" He's missing the point...

"For crying out loud..." muttered Geo at his Wizard's display.

"You should be proud Geo! You're the Operator of a cool-looking and powerful Wizard after all!"

The owners of Wizards are called Operators, much like how Lan was my operator back when I was a NetNavi. It kind of makes me homesick.

"It's not cool to be all into yourself..." continued Geo as his Wizard continued to show off.

"Um Geo, don't you have a meeting to get to?" I finally spoke up as things quieted down.

"Shoot!" Geo started sprinting down the hallway again as Lan and I followed, Omega-Xis returning to the Hunter to keep pace.

When we arrived the blond-haired class president was angrily and impatiently tapping her foot on the ground. She was flanked by two boys. One was large and portly like Dex with a yellow shirt and brown vest. The other one was as short as Yai with big hair wearing a decidedly nerdy outfit complete with glasses.

"You're laaaaaaaaaate!" she scolded angrily. "Late! Late! Late! What could have possibly been doing to be this late?! How long do you think it's been since I called you?!"

Her emphasis on punctuality reminds me of the usual combination of the scoldings Mayl and I gave Lan on a regular basis, only about ten times worse.

"Um.. well..."

"Geo, as you can see the Prez is really mad with you!" said the short one.

"I don't want her taking it out on me, so I'm keeping my mouth shut!"

"Come on, Bud!" Geo weakly cried in search of assistance.

"I don't want to get caught up in anything either, so the best I can do is support you from here Geo!"

"You too, Zack?"

"You just keep quiet, Geo!" Our friend stiffened up like a soldier at that. "There wouldn't have been a problem in the first place if you had come on time, right?"

"Yeah... sorry..."

To our surprise, Luna started blushing. "D-Don't look so down that I look like some evil d-dictator. I-I mean if there was a reason for your lateness I may accept it."

"Well, I was on the roof and the sprinkler was out of control and..."

Luna seemed to understand immediately, "Ah..."

"It turned out it was caused by viruses, so I deleted them."

"Wait, so that means that you turned into my beloved Mega Man?!"

"Ah... well, yes." They know? I guess he had to tell somebody.

"If that's the case, then you should have come here as Mega Man! Why did you come here as plain old Geo?!" I guess he's popular.

Luna continued with her monologue, "Anyway, how can Mega Man be so cool while you're just a plain old kid! Not to mention that ill-mannered Wizard you need to become Mega Man..."

"Who are you calling ill-mannered!" Omega-Xis materialized right in front of Luna's face with a glare transfixed on his own.

"Ah! Omega-Xis don't scare me like that!"

"I'll say this once for your own sake, I was originally an alien, not a Wizard. An AM-ian that grew up on Planet FM."

"O-Okay! Just go back into Geo's Hunter!"

Omega-Xis paused before giving the same mischievous grin Lan did when he was about to pull a prank.

"W-What are you looking at!"

Omega-Xis roared, beginning a chase where Omega-Xis acted as the cat and Luna the mouse, running around Geo who spun around in circles an attempt to keep up with the turn of events. Lan was doubling over in laughter at the situation.

"Luna was never good at getting along with Omega-Xis." noted Bud.

"Get along? They're terrible together!" added Zack.

"G-G-G-G-Geo! He's your Wizard! Do something about him!" cried Luna as she tried to get away.

"Geo! It looks like the Prez is about to start crying!"

"Shouldn't you put him back?"

"Alright, that's enough Mega. Wizard Off!" Omega-Xis returned to the Hunter and Luna finally stopped running, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath.

"I... can't believe... Geo... and his... stupid Wizard..." she huffed between breaths for air.

"Um Prez, wasn't there something that you called me for?

"Oh yeah!" Her two lackeys walked next to us as she prepared to give some kind of grand declaration.

"All four of us are going to... form a team to fulfill a new Purpose!"

"We are?"

"Does that mean I get to try porpoise? I've never eaten porpoise before." said Bud, drooling over the thought. He's not the brightest of the bunch is he?

"Not porpoise Bud! Purpose!" Zack corrected.

"It's just not in fashion to be Brothers and not have a purpose. So I decided that we're going to fulfill our own purpose!"

"So, what kind of purpose are we going to fulfill?" asked Geo.

"Hee hee hee, think _really_ hard! What really big event is going to take place at the school soon?"

"Um..."

"I know that there was definitely something."

"I know! There's gonna be pizza on the next week's lunch menu!"

"That's true... so we fulfilling a purpose related to pizza Prez?"

"Oh... a Purpose built around pizza..." murmured Omega-Xis from within Geo's Hunter.

"I do like a good pizza..." added Lan. What am I going to do with him?

"Wrong, you imbeciles!"

Finally I spoke up, "It's the election for the student body president isn't it?"

"Someone has half a brain around here!" Technically a bunch of processors, but it's a figure of speech.

"A student body president election, huh? Wait Prez, do you mean..."

"Correct! I, Luna Platz, am going to run for student body president!"

"So you're aiming to move up even higher in the world, from class president to student body president?" said Zack.

"That's correct, I believe I'm perfect for the position."

"Wow! It'll be so much fun to have Prez be the student body president! I'll support you one hundred percent!" said Bud.

"Yeah, I guess that no one could do the job as well as Prez could."

"Then it's settled. However, we first have to recreate our Brother Bands before we can set our Purpose."

"Oh yeah, our Brothers were deleted last class." said Geo.

"That's right! Geo and I will reform our Brother Bands first!"

The pair reformed their Brother Bands via a beam that shot between their Hunters, which exchanged data between the devices. The Hunters made a little fanfare sound as they finished.

"Alright, let's do this then." said Bud, "Let's work hard together as two friends with the same Purpose!" The process then repeated itself as their Brother Band reformed.

Geo then turned to Zack, "This isn't the first time we made a Brother Band, but some how it feels really exciting. The Brother Band is the real proof of our friendship!"

"Thanks again, Geo!" The two of them said in unison.

"We've finally reformed our Brother Bands!" he replied in response.

"Now we can form our team and set our Purpose!" exclaimed our class president.

"Wait, don't we need some kind of team name or something?"

"How about Team Tortellini?"

"Since our Purpose is to help Luna become the Student Body President, our team name should be something related to that." said Zack.

"Fine... just ignore me." mumbled Bud with a sigh.

"No need to worry everyone! I've already come up with a team name!"

"Prez is always being on top of things like this!"

"I couldn't sleep at all last night thinking about it. But I, of course, was able to come up with a brilliant team name!" She stayed up all night to do it? I wonder what it could be.

"Then let's hear it!" Geo piped up.

"Listen well and be amazed! The team name is... Luna 4 Prez!" Everyone in the room who heard this fell to the floor in shock at its simplicity.

"I'm kind of speechless..."

"She stayed up all night to come up with that?"

"To be honest, Prez never was good at coming up with names. I once had her think of a name for my first pet. Poor Catnip..."

"Catnip isn't a bad name for a cat."

Zack sighed, "He's a dog." The trio muttered at Prez's expense.

"What is everyone muttering about?" she asked angrily.

"N-Nothing at all!"

"It's a great name!" They're as bad at lying as I am.

"Luna for student body president!" She's a lot like Yai in that she always gets her way.

"Great! I'm glad that everyone is in agreement!"

"Okay! Let's set our Purpose and team name into our Hunters!" After another round of electronic fanfare the deed seemed to have been done.

"Setting our first Team and Purpose is kind of moving." noted Geo.

"Well it's time to get started as the members of Luna 4 Prez!" declared Luna. I wonder if she's always like this.

It's great to see that Lan's invention is making people come together like this, but I wonder when the Prez is going to notice us.

Luna pointed straight at us, "Hey you two! You're the new kids aren't you?" There's my answer I guess.

Lan piped up first, "That's right! I'm Lan and this is my brother Hub!"

"Perfect!" she shouted, "Is there a problem we can help you with?" her voice suddenly dropped in volume and became incredibly polite sounding, a sharp contrast to her yelling a few seconds ago.

"Uh... not really." I couldn't think of anything since we basically just woke up in this time period.

"I see. Well, I'm running for the student body election and-"

"We know. We were standing here the whole time. Do you want us to vote for you?" replied my twin.

"Yes! I mean, if you wish, it would really help our team out."

"Sure! Hey Hub, maybe we should join. it's not like we have anything better to do today."

It couldn't hurt could it? We have to make new friends here anyway. "I don't see why not."

Luna looked ecstatic. "Excellent!" We then got Brother Band invites, to which we accepted quickly to the same fanfare we heard earlier. Our Link Power, basically a measure of how many Brother Bands you have and how strong they are, went up. According to class almost everything runs on it to the point that some buses won't let you on if you don't have enough!

She then turned around, "See, this is how we'll be able to fulfill our Purpose! We just need to keep asking people if they need anything, do it for them and get me votes!"

Geo sighed, "I saw this coming. Are you sure you want to do this? By the sound of things we'll basically be gophers for everyone at school."

I shrugged, "I've been doing it for a while. A little more couldn't hurt." I mean I did Lan's homework, delivered his emails, and cleaned out his viruses. How tough could these errands be?

"With this my election will be guaranteed!" she then gave a haughty laugh of satisfaction exactly the same way Yai would. I wonder if Luna is her descendant.

We ended up making Brother Bands with Geo, Bud, and Zack. That led to the big problem though.

"That's weird."

"What is?" I asked, looking over at the holographic screen of Bud's Hunter.

"My Hunter says that you and Lan are your own Wizards. "

Zack's interest was piqued, "What? Let me see!" Zack straightened his glasses as if to confirm what he was seeing, "That is strange."

Lan looked ready to spill it, "Well..."

I immediately clamped my hand over his mouth, "That's a bug! Our Hunters are new so we haven't run diagnostic scans on them yet!"

"Okay then..."

"So Lan and I will take the second floor! You guys can do the other two bye!" I grabbed Lan's arm and ran off to the elevator before he could blow our cover.

* * *

**Elevator - Echo Ridge Elementary - Second Floor**

* * *

Lan's Point of View

Inside the privacy of the elevator (I'm surprised they didn't install security cameras, that's a safety hazard) my twin began chewing me out over what I was going to say.

"What were you thinking? Mr. Boreal told us to keep a low profile. We were only able to tell Geo because we helped him out at the sprinkler. We don't need to tell everybody!"

After an earful like that I had to clear my auditory canal, "You're worrying too much. They already know that Geo is the Mega Man of this time period. What's the harm in telling them?"

"A ton of things! What if they tell other people? What if word gets out about the Navi Project? What if we get swarmed by the media because of it? There are so many what ifs it's irritating just to think about making a dumb move like that!"

Okay... maybe I didn't think this through. "Sorry Hub, I'm just not used to holding onto secrets like this. Well, except for Scilab tech and stuff, but that's completely different."

Hub sighed, "Sorry for blowing up like that. It's just... I want to live a normal life for once. We've had plenty of adventures, but this is my first and probably only chance to live as a human, not a NetNavi. I don't mind virus busting every once in a while, but I finally got back the life that was taken from me. I don't want to mess it up and be hounded by people left and right."

Now I know that I _really_ didn't think this through. "Geez, I never thought about that since, you know..."

"I never thought I'd get to be able to do this either, but my dream to be able to be a human again is really happening. So please keep this a secret Lan!" My brother is the incredibly unselfish and self-sacrificing type (except when he sees an incredibly cool/rare battle chip and begs me to buy it, especially after I installed that Humor program for fun), so when he gives you those pleading eyes you _know_ he wants it _badly_.

I straightened my bandana and let my shiny teeth show, "You got it Hub. I'll be more careful from now on. Cross my heart or hope to die!"

"I hope you don't mean that literally."

"Of course not. You're way too serious about this Hub. Besides, we're basically superheroes now. As long as I don't pull any stupid stunts we'll be fine! When was the last time I did something stupid anyway?"

"Uh... do you really want me to list them?" Ouch, no one knows how to throw an insult without a single impolite word like my brother.

"Okay, you got me. But relax, my lips are sealed and so are Geo's."

"I certainly hope so." He didn't look any more convinced than before.

If reassurance doesn't work, time to go with a different approach, "Let's not think about this right now. We've got a job to do remember, getting votes for Luna by doing favors!" I yelled with as much enthusiasm as I could muster, trying to change the subject and get Hub's mind off the issue.

Finally, a smile cracked on my brother's face, "Yeah... you're right. I'll focus on the present for now." Alright, success!

His expression returned to a small frown as he asked a very good question, "The thing is, how are we going to ask everyone if they need a favor? We only met them today remember?"

"That's a good point..." I then had one of my rare eureka moments, "I've got it! Remember that pop up system Mr. Shepar mentioned to us. It'll tell us what their hobbies and interests are, and from that we can tell if they have a problem!"

Hub's eyes widened before he broke into another smile, "So you did stay awake in class!"

"Of course I did! How could I not with your nagging!"

"I don't know, I've been doing it since we were six. Yet it takes a two hundred year nap for it to finally sink into you."

"Why you..." Now that's just being cruel!

"You can't be the only one having fun Lan."

"I'm going to get you for this later..." I pouted at my brother's sudden cheekiness.

"That's okay, but you can't reprogram me to do it!"

I stamped my foot on the ground, "Don't think I won't try!"

"Then I just won't let you!" I chased my annoying older brother down the hall until we bumped into something.

"WHY ARE YOU TWO RUNNING IN THE HALL?!"

We soon realized that the something we bumped into was someone, Echo Ridge Elementary's science teacher. I don't remember his name, but he looked more like a fitness instructor than a scientist. Big, burly, and hairy are the three words that best described him, quickly followed by loud.

"Sorry! We were looking for people to help out and-"

"NO EXCUSES! I ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS AS A TEACHER, ESPECIALLY THAT BROKEN DISPLAY IN THE SCIENCE ROOM!" Broken display?

"You know, we could probably help if you need us too."

His voice softened a bit, "Hmmm. That's awfully nice of you two but if you're not in a club right now I'm going to have to tell you to go home. I'm calling a mechanic tomorrow, but thanks for offering. Now go on, I can't have you two getting in trouble."

The two of us nodded before quickly walking back down the hall.

"That didn't go as planned." I muttered at my failure to actually get a favor out of the teacher. Despite his appearance he seemed to be a pretty swell guy. He needs to get a handle on his volume control, but otherwise nice.

"Don't worry about it Lan, he's not a student. We wouldn't be able to get a vote for Luna anyway."

"I suppose. So what now?"

"There isn't much we can do except find someone who needs a favor."

"I guess, but what are the odds of that? I mean, everyone has gone home already-" I was cut short as I bumped into someone else. I've got to start watching where I'm going...

"Sorry! Are you alright?"

"Yeah... I'm pretty hard-headed." I took the hand of the person I crashed into, who helped me up. He, well I think he's a he, had long green hair and brown eyes. To be honest he looked kind of girly with his purple coat and pants along with a yellow belt pack.

"That's a relief. My name is Patrick Sprigs, just call me Pat." So he is a guy.

"I'm Lan Hikari, just call me Lan!"

My brother groaned at my attempt to play along, "That was terrible."

"It's called being friendly!" Besides, his jokes with the Humor program installed weren't much better. "This grump is my twin brother Hub."

"I see. You two just transferred in today right? I think we're in the same class."

"We are?" I don't remember seeing him.

"I left for a while to do some soul searching. I've done some horrible things because of my... issues."

Here's my chance! "What kind of issues? Maybe Hub and I can help."

"No, you couldn't possibly... unless..." Pat looked troubled over the topic. How bad could it be?

"This may be a weird question, but do you know what an EM Wave Change is?"

"Um..." If I tell him I'd cross my promise to Hub, but if I don't tell him I can't help him! What must I always get the hard decisions?

"What if we do?" interjected Hub, his brow furrowed at the question.

"Well, you see, I have something of a split personality. His name is Rey, and the only way I can keep him, and myself under control is if I Wave Battle every once in a while."

I actually paid attention in regards to Wave Battles. They're basically Net Battles except with Wizards instead of Navis. As cool as that sounds, I don't think that's what he has in mind.

"So you want us to battle you?"

"Yes. It'd be even better if you could Wave Change, but..."

"We'll do it." To say that Hub caught me by surprise is an understatement.

"Y-you do know what you're saying right Hub? You're throwing everything you said in the elevator out the window!"

"I know, but didn't you say last night that everything would be fine as long as we helped people out?"

"Yeah, but..."

"A favor or two isn't going to kill me. Besides, I kind of want to find out what being in a Wave Battle is like."

I patted him on the back, "That's the Hub I know! It's great that you're finally thinking in the positive!"

"It looks like it's settled then. Meet me on the roof in your Wave Changed forms." Pat left for the elevator while we pondered the potential consequences of our decision.

* * *

**Roof – Echo Ridge Elementary – Wave Road**

* * *

Hub's Point of View

We had to sneak past Geo and a few other kids on our way to the Wave Station. I mean he knew, but I'm not sure what he would think if we suddenly had a battle with one of our classmates. The tree they were watching turned out to be a Real Wave, an object made entirely out of EM Waves, when it suddenly blossomed as if it were spring. It kind of makes me wonder what else the new technology here can do.

Anyways, once we got on the Wave Road we were greeted by a pair of EM Wave Beings. Oddly enough they seemed to be twins like us. In fact that appeared to be mirror images of each other. The first one wore a white jumpsuit with gray down the sides. His leg armor kind of resembled rocket thrusters with yellow dots down the middle. The chest area had extra armor on it with two orange diamonds on it, kind of like a Navi's crest. He also had a helmet which left his face visible and his dark orange hair out the back. Perhaps most distinctive of all was the golden gauntlet he had on his left arm that crackled with electricity. The other one was identical, bearing the same over look look, metal pauldrons, and rings. The only distinguishing features between them was the fact that black one had his gauntlet on his right arm along with the obvious color difference.

"So you really came." remarked the white one whose voice I immediately recognized.

"Pat?"

"Yes. I can EM Wave Change with Gemini to become Gemini Spark. My dark half over here is Rey. In our Wave Changed forms are called Gemini White and Black respectively."

Rey scoffed at us, "So this you brought two newbies to fight us rather than that friend of yours?"

"What's your problem? We may be new to Wave Changing but not to battle in general." Lan was glaring at him with an annoyed expression on his face. We were some of the greatest Net Battlers back in the day, so it was a blow to his pride.

"Is that so? I guess we'll see about that." Split personality is right, this Rey guy is the exact opposite of Pat.

"Please be careful, I won't be able to hold back." warned Pat, the both of us readying our busters in anticipation.

Rey gave a sadistic smirk, "Try not to get deleted too quickly."

That really ticked Lan off, "Okay, that's it! You're going down! Battle routine set..."

"Wave Battle..." The familiar sound of my buster charging rang through the air.s

"Execute!"

"Ride on!"

"Rocket Knuckle!" the two of them announced to open the battle, firing their gauntlet covered arms straight at us as if they were missiles. We sidestepped to dodge, only for Pat to instantly close the distance and take a swipe at me, using his hand as if it were an Elec Sword!

Craning my neck back to avoid it, I fired off as many Mega Buster shots as I could, only the first few managing to hit before he vanished in a blur of color.

"Behind you!" I felt an impact from behind as I was knocked to the floor, turning around just in time to see that it was Pat. How did he get around me so quickly?

"Battle Card: Sword!" I quickly swung to ward him off, only for him to vanish yet again.

"Are you serious? These two are pushovers compared to that Geo kid! They don't even know how to change their frequency!" I turned to see Lan having just as much trouble with Rey as I was having with Pat. The black Gemini was even more aggressive than my opponent, assaulting my brother with a barrage of electrified punches.

"You shouldn't turn your back in the middle of a fight!" I managed to spin around again just in time to block another sword attack from Pat.

"Well done, but you're going to have to do better than that!" He forced me back, sending me flying with another kick.

I slid across the Wave Road, almost slipping off before I grabbed the edge with my fingertips. These guys are dangerous!

I could see Pat walking towards me through the translucent platform I clung to, probably to try and finish me off. I don't really get how such a nice person would have to do something like this. Still, this is no time to be having second guesses.

I threw myself over the edge, surprising the white Gemini as I flipped through the air to get a better vantage point. "Battle Cards: Mad Vulcan x2!" My arms transformed into a familiar pair of Gatling guns that I aimed straight at him.

"Eat this!" He wasn't able to turn around in time, allowing me to pepper him with dozens of shots, not relenting for a second as I tried to keep him pinned.

I then heard the sound of him vanishing again, so I stopped firing in order to clear the smoke that was obscuring my vision before I returned my arms to normal.

"Is this really the only way to help you Pat?"I enjoy a good Net Battle as much as the next guy, but this is feeling more like a fight to the death!

"That's not a question you should be asking right now! Here I come, Rocket Knuckle!" He was shooting his gauntlet at me again!

It came from my right, allowing me to dodge it with a quick backstep. However, it continued flying before entering some kind of black hole and disappearing. As I scanned the area around me in search of Pat the black hole suddenly reopened at my feet, the golden fist shooting up to nail me in the chin with a vicious uppercut. The blow forced my head up to see Pat, reattaching his arm before diving down to attack again.

But I'm not one to go down without a fight! "Battle Card: Barrier!"

The blue protective shield surrounded me, slowing down the attack just enough for me to get out of the way in time and get a good grip on his arm.

"Sorry, but you're not leaving me much choice here!" I spun him around in a circle a few times before flinging him right at his counterpart.

"Lan heads up!" My twin turned his head to see what was going on, immediately understanding what I was trying to do.

"You've got it! Battle Cards: Cannon and Attack +10!" An extra large cannon appeared on Lan's hand, as he kneed Rey in the gut. My twin then blasted the black Gemini towards his mirror image.

The two collided painfully with a loud crash, leaving them wide open for a follow up!

"Don't lose this chance Lan! Battle Cards: Plasma Gun and Air Spread!" My left hand turned into a ball-shaped blaster with electricity bouncing inside while my right hand became a cannon that shot bursts of heavily compressed air. I fired the two of them as fast as I could to take advantage of the situation before they could recover.

"On it! Battle Cards: Mini Grenade x3!" Three grenades formed in his hands before they glowed white and merged into a larger one.

"Hey, another Galaxy Advance! Okay then, Big Grenade!" The grenade did it's job, detonating in a series of powerful explosions that clouded our view of the electric duo. Did we get them?

"Not bad! I underestimated you guys a little!" Gemini Spark reappeared in the air above us, visibly damaged but otherwise unfazed by our all-out attack.

"Are you kidding me! We pulled out all the stops in that one!" Lan growled in frustration. I couldn't blame him, most NetNavis would have been forced to log out from what we just used.

"It's too bad, we're going to have to end it here!"

Pat gritted his teeth, "Both of you, run!"

The two of them conjoined their armored hands, both of which crackled menacingly with electricity arcing between them.

"Say good-bye! Gemini Thunder!" An absolutely massive beam of lightning erupted from the tips of their fingers, engulfing us before we had a chance to dodge.

It. Hurt.

I've been through a lot during my life as a NetNavi, but this has got to rank up there as one of the most painful attacks I've ever experienced. Think of being blown away by an explosion, being zapped by a billion volts, and feeling all of your limbs spasm uncontrollably at the same time.

By the time the worst of the attack had passed I was practically plastered to the floor by the sheer power of the attack. Worse still, my body completely numb and paralyzed.

"Heh, down after a single Gemini Thunder. At least you put up a better fight than I thought you would."

He casually sauntered towards my brother, who was doing no better than I was.

"You pieces of trash thought you could challenge me? Look at how wrong you were! Weaklings like you should just all get deleted!"

He... he... began kicking Lan over and over, like he was some piece of garbage!

"Rey, that's enough!" From what I could see, Pat was pointing his gauntlet straight at Rey.

"Oh, are you really going to stop me? Just try it! Do you have the guts to take me on!"

Pat hesitated, causing Rey to simply laugh. "Of course you won't! You're too nice to actually delete anyone!" I could only watch helplessly as he brought his leg back, this time kicking Lan so hard he slid almost to the edge of the Wave Road.

"Argh!" Lan let out a cry of pain as he hit the ground unmoving.

It was only then that I realized something.

I was mad.

No, not mad. **F****URIOUS****.**

I can't describe in words how mad I was. I felt nothing but burning, seething, anger towards Gemini Black. He was going to pay, and nothing is going to stop me!

Come on, move! My limbs refused to respond, but I kept trying anyway. If I didn't help Lan, who would? I kept trying, and trying, and trying, and trying. Finally, feeling returned to my fingers, then my hands, then my arms. I was able to push my self off the floor, all of the numbness fading as I prepared to take him down!

"Gemini Black!" Rey turned to face me, still wearing that irritating smirk of confidence.

"So you've finally picked yourself off the floor!" he paused for a moment, his twisted smile only growing wider.

"Only if Andromeda were still in existence... all of this negative emotion would have filled it to capacity! I'm getting a little excited! Come on then, show me what you've got weakling!"

I wasn't just going to show him, I was going to pound it into him for what he did!

He rushed at me with all of the cockiness he had earlier.

That cockiness faded in a heartbeat when I decked him in the face.

"What?" he sputtered as he tried to get off the floor.

I didn't give him a chance to catch his breath grabbed both of his arms and lifted him into the air, crushing them both within my grip. But I wasn't going to let him get off with just two broken arms.

"Gemini Black, you have _no idea_ just how _angry_ you've made me. Let me get something straight with you. I agreed to this to help Pat, but you've tried to torture and kill my younger brother. For what you've done, you have _hell _to pay!"

I began pulling his arms apart in opposite directions.

I didn't care that he was howling in pain. I didn't care that his faced was contorted in agony. I didn't care that I was about to rip him in half. No one hurts Lan or anyone else I care about and gets away with it!

"Hub, hold on!" Lan was limping towards us, clutching his shoulder.

"I'm fine, see? So put him down, we don't need to go that far." He clearly _wasn't _fine. He looked just as bad if not worse than I thanks to Gemini Black's work. The only thing that would point to the contrary was the fact that I didn't see anything worse than a few bruises on him, but I could hear him muttering ow under his breath.

"But he-"

Lan shook his head, "No buts. Besides, this isn't like you. Would you really rip a NetNavi limb from limb?"

"Of course not! What kind of question is-" It was then I realized that I was basically doing exactly that.

I dropped him, allowing the target of my rage to crumple to the floor.

"Well, not exactly what I envisioned, but okay. " He turned back to Pat, "Was that enough, Pat? I think we're all pretty beat up here after all."

"Y-Yeah... I think you two might have overdone it a bit." I've been around for a while. Being unable to interact with the people around me except through a computer screen has given me plenty of time to practice reading people's expressions. But I didn't need any of it to know how Pat was feeling.

The one I saw on Pat's was one of pure terror.

After a short, awkward silence which he break by clearing his throat, Lan continued, "Well that's good. Anyway, we wanted to ask if you'd vote for Luna in the election."

The white Gemini blinked, "That's all you need?"

"Yup, that's about it. So um, sorry about Rey."

"It's fine... he deserved it in the end. Thanks for helping me out."

"Not a problem! We'll be going then... so bye." My twin pulsed out before this situation could get any more awkward then it already was. I took one last look at the scene before doing the same.

I know I was in the wrong this time, but I still wasn't going to forgive Rey for what he did.

Not by a long shot.

* * *

**Lobby - Echo Ridge Elementary**

* * *

Geo's Point of View

Man was today tiring! I deleted a bunch of viruses that were messing with the science display, saved a Mr. Hertz that was attacked by viruses so it could deliver its email, not to mention that sprinkler incident. On top of that, Prez took all of the credit. The last thing I have to do today his to see the visitor who apparently called me to the lobby for a talk.

"Oh, Geo! They called you down too?" The way that Lan, well Dr. Hikari, the way he was waving made him look like a kid who had a little too much sugar. Is he really two hundred years old?

"Yeah, any idea who the visitor is?"

The bandana wearing Net scientist shrugged, "Not a clue. _Then again, I don't really know anyone from this era._" His voice dropped to a low whisper for the last statement. I looked over at his twin, who was looking rather down by comparison.

I was just about to ask if something was wrong when Lan put his finger to his lips and shook his head lightly. What could have happened in the hour they were missing?

Prez, Bud, and Zack showed up about a minute afterward. "Oh, Hub and Lan are here too. Where's your visitor, Geo?" asked my class president and probably future student body president.

I gave the only response I could, "I'm not really sure..."

"Ah, my bad. Over here." said a voice from down the hall.

The source of the voice turned out to be a guy in his twenties with dark blue hair that went to his shoulders. He was wearing a sleek white jacket that had a strangely familiar-looking emblem on it along with a black jumpsuit. A metal belt circled his waist but didn't quite meet at the front. He also had some kind of metal plate on his shoulders that looked like a shirt collar. His gloves were a dark gray with yellow lines running over the back. He also had a pair of red sunglasses hanging from the front of his jumpsuit.

"_Who's that?_" whispered Mega from my Hunter.

"No clue..."

"Since all schools have a Snack Shop, I took a look around and found yours. Bought me a ton of cheap candy." said the man as he pulled out what looked like a chocolate bar.

Bud immediately piped up the way he always did when food was involved, "Oh wow, that's a Mega Snack! They're so good even though they only cost 10 zennys each!"

"Oh, it sounds like I made a good decision then. Let me give one a shot." he unwrapped it before scarfing it down in seconds.

"They're good right?"

"Yeah, man that's good. Not a bad deal for only 10 zennys."

Okay... is this my visitor? "Um, are you the one that wanted to see me?" I asked, interrupting the chat about snacks.

"Yep that's me. I was here while you running around and all, but you probably didn't notice, eh?"

Come to think of it, maybe I did see him.

"My name is Eos. A.C. Eos. But people usually just call me Ace. Nice to meet you. You're Geo Stelar right?"

"Yes but... how did you know?"

He smiled, "Your name is well known in my line of work, and _Mega Man_ too."

We all jumped at Ace's words. How did he...

"Don't freak out guys. I'm not your enemy." Yeah, tell us that after you drop a bomb like that one.

"Then who are you?"

He sighed, "I can't really say that at the moment, but the time will come when I can. For the time being, I want you to come to the Spica Mall tomorrow."

"Spica Mall?" I never heard of it.

The Prez was quick to tell me, "It's a new mall that just opened. It takes about ten minutes by train."

"The world famous Wave Battle Tournament will be taking place there. I want you to participate." said Ace.

"You don't have to listen to this guy, Geo!" yelled Zack.

"I agree! This guy is creepy! Something isn't right here." added the Prez, but she didn't need to tell me twice.

"Hey, let's be nice now."

"Well, our Team is just a little bit busy getting our hands on a Giga Energy Card right now."

"A Giga Energy Card, eh?" he chuckled before turning back to me, "You need a Giga Energy Card?"

"Yeah..."

"Then I'll get you one." Wait, what?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, if you guys really need it, I'm just saying I can get you one."

"But... we heard that Giga Energy Cards aren't just something anyone can get." questioned the Prez in her usual way.

"I can get you one. But you have to take part in the Wave Battle Tournament to earn it."

The Prez's eyes sparkled, "You have to do it!"

Naturally, I responded the only way I could when your leader suddenly turns her back on you, "What?!"

"Then it's decided." He began heading out the door, "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at the Spica Mall's event area. I'm looking forward to it tomorrow Geo, I mean Mega Man."

Ace took another step before pausing for another moment, "I almost forgot, it was nice to meet you too Dr. Hikari. Your NetNavi brother as well. Participate if you want, I might throw in a bonus if you do." Lan's brow furrowed while Hub was outright glaring at him as he left.

"Who the heck was that guy?" I asked as Ace turned the corner.

"Hmm... he seems similar." noted Mega.

"Huh? Similar to who?"

"To you kid."

"Me? I don't look that cool."

"Not really similar by looks, kid. More like your vibe."

Our conversation was interrupted by Bud, "Hey Lan, what did he mean by Dr. Hikari?"

Luna only made things worse, "Yeah, and he said NetNavi brother. The last time I checked NetNavis are becoming rarer and rarer, especially with Wizards on the market."

"Uh... I can't tell you that right now." Lan's perky demeanor faded as he began to avoid eye contact. This really isn't good for their secret.

"We already had that weird Ace guy! Don't go holding out on us like this!" The Prez isn't the type to take a no for an answer, and I don't think that's going to be changing any time soon.

"I'm sorry, but I really can't."

"Why not?"

"Put it this way, our secret is even bigger than Geo's, so if I were to tell you the consequences would be devastating."

"Bigger than Mega Man? Really? I find that hard to believe. Zack!"

"Already on it Prez. Pedia have you finished your search on Dr. Hikari?" Oh crud, I completely forgot that Zack's new Wizard is a walking dictionary and search engine!

"Y-you won't believe this Zack!"

"What is it?" Luna and Bud crowded around Zack.

"The inventor of the Brother Band is someone named Dr. Lan Hikari from two hundred years ago!"

"So you're saying..."

"That's not all! This one is even crazier! Dr. Hikari's NetNavi was named MegaMan EXE!"

"Mega Man?!" There goes their secret.

Zack straightened his glasses as he processed the information, "But wait a second, if he were alive today Dr. Hikari would be over two hundred years old! There's no way Lan could be that old... could he?"

Suddenly, Lan burst out into laughter. "A-are you guys kidding! Do I look two hundred to you? Come on, use your heads guys. That makes no sense at all."

"_The kid knows how to lie. A nice recovery._" whispered Omega-Xis, and I had to agree. Lan is putting up a pretty good argument.

But Zack wasn't fazed in the slightest, "Pedia, bring up images of Dr. Hikari when he was ten years old."

"You've got it Zack!" it only took a few seconds before the information wizard gasped, "No way! The pictures are a perfect match!"

"Bingo." Uh oh.

Lan's face instantly became more grave, "I don't see much of a way out of this Hub. Should we tell them?"

"I... don't know." If anything, Hub looked almost ready to cry.

The Prez was far more impatient, "We've already proved who you are, so come out with it already! How and why are you here?"

"Fine, you caught me. I really am Dr. Lan Hikari, inventor of the Brother Band. But how and why I'm here is something I can't tell you no matter what. Especially since you're so nosy." It wasn't really present in his voice, but he looked furious. After spending all day being so positive it's just downright unnerving to see him angry like this.

"Now see here-"

Lan cut her off, "Why don't you see here?! First, it's not polite to pry. Second, we've run errands for you all day and yet you're treating us like this. Third, telling you would endanger any semblance of the normal life my brother never got to live before today! So would you cut it out!"

He turned around disgusted, "Come on Hub, we're leaving."

The older twin looked more than happy to comply as they both walked out the door.

"Luna... that was rude. You shouldn't have pressured them like that." I told Luna.

Mega materialized next to me, "The kid's got a point, and you're the one who called me impolite."

"Hey, we have enough secrets around here with that Ace guy!"

"But still... you too Zack. Was it really okay just to pry into someone's past?"

"When you put it that way..." I mean, he was just doing what the Prez told him to do, but you'd think he would put some thought into it before he started searching.

Well, this entire day has gone sour in a hurry.

I guess we'll have to wait for all of this to blow over, "It's time to go home guys. See you tomorrow." Il left my friends to head home and hopefully figure out what to do by tomorrow.

"What are you going to do about this situation, kid?"

"I haven't a clue. So much has happened today it's hard to make heads or tails of it."

"Can't blame ya, but you're going to have to do something about this. This ain't the type of problem that's gonna fix itself on its own you know."

"I know..." But what am I supposed to do in this situation? They don't have manuals for these types of things!

"Hey, Geo!" Who's calling me now?

The younger of the twins quickly ran up beside me, his brother not far behind.

"Lan er- Dr. Hikari. What are you-"

"Just call me Lan, I can't be blowing my cover any more than I already have. Anyway, there's been a slight change in plans. Mr. Boreal called and said we'll be staying at your place for a while. Do you mind?"

"What?"

Just when I thought things couldn't get any crazier.

* * *

It's been a while guys! As you can probably tell I'll be diverging from canon quite a bit since I want to blend aspects of both the anime and the games. The most noticeable one to those who remember is Pat's inclusion, since he was proverbially dropped off a cliff/put on a bus at the end of the second game. To be honest, this chapter turned out a good deal darker than I initially intended it to be. I think I wrote Hub as too much of a brooding character in particular. Then again, he's still adjusting from not only living in Cyberspace to the real world (without a Copy Bot) but to a new era as well.

In the end though, I want to hear your opinion on the matter. So drop a review if you have the time.

Though on the topic of reviews, I have a request to make. You see, the vast majority of reviews on not just this story but my others too are a nice pat on the back for me that let's me know that you guys are continuing to support me. The problem is that kind of review tells me little about what I'm doing right or wrong. So please, when you write a review for me try to think of one thing you did and one thing you didn't like about my story. That's the kind of information I need to make this story even better.

That isn't to say that I don't enjoy your support, but I just want to make each one of my stories the best it can be. I have a lot of fun doing this, and knowing that you guys enjoy it too makes it all the better. So please do try to put a little extra time into the reviews if you can, but if that's all you are able to write due to time constraints or you're simply not interested that's fine too. But if you have something to say please tell me. I take each and every review seriously and I promise you that your opinion will be heard.

That's enough preaching for now. Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!


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